He opened his news conference today by denouncing a published report that said he would welcome being fired if owner Woody Johnson doesn't upgrade the offense.

He said: "There's no bigger Jet than me."

He also said the Jets are the "only team I want to coach -- period." He hoped to be in the job "for the next 15 years."

With the Jets (6-9) out of the playoffs for the second straight season, Ryan's job status has become tenuous in his fourth year. But Ryan says he was "mad as a hornet" when he read the story, and immediately called Johnson to deny it.